Let's Go There
by Okami No Yume
Summary: Just a songfic centered around Toboe. The song is Higher by Creed. I hope you like, reviews always appreciated.


Let's Go There

A Wolf's Rain Songfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain or the characters. The song is "Higher" by Creed, which I do not claim ownership for either. I am making no profit from this whatsoever. This is just for fun.

A/N: Yes, yet another songfic from me! I can't help it; I enjoy writing these, lol. I was listening to the radio and the song "Higher" was on, and I was inspired by the lyrics to it. It made me think of Wolf's Rain and their struggle to reach Paradise. But mostly, it made me think of Toboe. I felt I had to write something uplifting and hopeful because of all the depressing stuff in the news lately.

Dedication: For Toboe Wolf, I looked up your profile and I'm sorry that you're going through such a difficult time. I just want you to know that my heart goes out to you and anyone else that reads this that was affected by Hurricanes' Rita and Katrina. Oh, and I hope your little birdie will be all right too. May God watch over him. big big hugs If you like, feel free to drop me a line sometime TW. I'm always grateful for your reviews. Here's a small present for you in the form of a Toboe fic. I hope you like it.

Even though my personal favorite's Kiba, I will admit to having a softspot for Toboe. He's just so cute. I felt I owed him at least one fic. Oh, and for those of you interested, I updated my profile. I now have a link to my LiveJournal. If you like, you can go there to check out my goings-on and the current status of my stories. Oh, and if you happen to have an LJ, feel free to friend me, if you like! Just let me know if you do!

Summary: The pack shows Toboe that they really do care about him.

The storm had hit without warning. It was brutal and unforgiving as frost and snow clung to their pelts. They hadn't eaten in days and were close to collapsing. The only thing that seemed to keep them together was Kiba's fierce determination to recover the flower maiden from the clutches of Lord Darcia, ever since she'd been snatched away from them when his once magnificent keep had fallen to a crumbling ruin. They treaded wearily through the snow, weak from hunger and stretched to the very limits of their strength. The nourishing light of the moon was blocked by the thick winter clouds, and without it, they could not go on much longer without food. They were weak and hungry, and their energy reserves were low. They needed rest badly, but Kiba was resolute in his decision to press onwards, even with Tsume, Hige, and Blue arguing that they needed rest and food. They all walked in an almost single-file line, their heads bowed and their eyes closed against the force of the wind.

_When dreaming I'm guided to another world  
Time and time again  
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep  
'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place _

Toboe traveled at the very back, being the omega of the pack. His muscles trembled with fatigue. The ice crystals stung his eyes. He could barely see a thing through his slanted eyes. He braced himself against the wind and forced his aching paws to take step after step. He never complained. He knew they would get angry, and he wanted to prove that he could be strong. He could make it…just a little further…Just a little more. He could do it. He wouldn't give up. He wouldn't give in. He wouldn't prove himself a weakling. He was a wolf, after all. He had to make it, or otherwise they'd never reach Paradise. He took one more trembling step forward…just a little further, and they'd find shelter.

_'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape  
From the life I live when I'm awake _

All of a sudden, he collapsed in the snow. He could not take another step. He just laid there and closed his yellow eyes and sighed. He was too weak. He was too small. The elements were too much for him to handle. He felt as if he could go no further. "Toboe!" he heard the worried voice of Kiba calling out to him. "Toboe, are you all right!" Kiba's voice was distant…it seemed far away. He was utterly exhausted. Tired beyond all imagining. Perhaps he would see Paradise in death. Perhaps he would see Granny. Perhaps he would see his parents, whom he'd never known. He'd been an orphan, and Granny was the only mother he'd ever known.

_So let's go there  
Let's make our escape  
Come on, let's go there_

_Let's ask can we stay? _

_Can you take me Higher?  
To a place where blind men see  
Can you take me Higher?  
To a place with golden streets _

Memories flowed through him. The memories of when he first opened his eyes and saw Granny. The memories of how she nursed him from a bottle. He remembered her warmth, her kindness, and her gentle voice, the nights when she would rock him to sleep and sing to him. The first time he learned to walk, shakily on his tiny legs. He remembered the nights when he would lay next to the fire, and she would quietly knit. He remembered she had been poor, and unable to afford a collar for him, so she had given him a few of her silver bracelets. They were his most treasured possession, and the last mementos he had left of her. Then she had died, and he had been left alone to fend for himself. It hadn't been easy, but he had managed to eke out a living on the streets, getting by on scraps he managed to steal from the crows, competing with them for his very survival.

_Although I would like our world to change  
It helps me to appreciate  
Those nights and those dreams  
But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights  
If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same  
The only difference is  
To let love replace all our hate  
So let's go there  
Let's make our escape  
Come on, let's go there  
Let's ask can we stay? _

Then he'd met Leara, the kind-hearted girl who loved animals. She'd given him food when the crows had been particularly cruel to him. He'd so desperately hoped to be friends with her…and he remembered how disastrous that had turned out to be. He remembered what a nasty shock it had been when he had accidentally killed her bird. He had howled for the very first time, showing Leara his true form. Her reaction hadn't been at all what he'd expected. Tsume had rescued him from that situation. Then he'd begun his journey with Kiba and the others, filled with enthusiasm and naïve optimism.

_Can you take me Higher?  
To a place where blind men see  
Can you take me Higher?  
To a place with golden streets _

He'd felt right, being among his own kind for the very first time. He felt like he was with a family. With Kiba and the others, Toboe experienced a sense of belonging he'd never truly known before, not even with Granny. It was strange, a feeling he couldn't quite fully explain. So, he didn't try. He'd merely accepted it. Of course, there were times when he often felt ignored or left out, and he began to doubt himself. Maybe he didn't belong. Maybe he was too weak. Maybe he wouldn't make it to Paradise. He began to think that maybe they thought him weak since he'd been raised by humans, inferior to them. Maybe they thought that he wasn't strong enough to make the trip to the gates of Paradise. Maybe they would leave him here to die. In the wolf's world, only the strong survived, and the weak perished. It was nature's cruelest law.

_So lets go there, lets go there,  
Come on, lets go there  
Lets ask can we stay?  
Come on, let's go there _

It wasn't like he would have blamed them, really. He was useless anyways. He probably just slowed them down. Hige often teased him and was more often than not occupied with courting Blue, and the pair seemed rather enamored with each other to pay much attention to him or any one else, for that matter. Tsume snapped at him, and Kiba more often then not ignored him entirely, seeing as his attention was almost entirely focused on the Flower Maiden. In fact, Cheza was virtually the only one that seemed to show him any affection or take notice of him. She petted and sang to him, laying her small hand between his ears and would sing to him, just like Granny used to. It was a great comfort to him. He hoped they would get her back from the clutches of Darcia soon.

_Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time  
Set up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams_

_And make them mine _

All these thoughts ran through Toboe's head in chaotic fragments. Bits and pieces came and went until they blurred to the point where he didn't know which ones were real and which were imagined. He was vaguely aware of hearing his name over and over again. Concerned voices trying to call him back. Or at least, that's what he thought it was. He felt a pair of strong arms lift him, and the world became completely black as he went unconscious.

_Can you take me Higher?__  
__To a place where blind men see_  
_Can you take me Higher?_  
_To a place with golden streets _

He awoke later on, and he felt warm bodies around him. He saw a black pelt on one side and a distinct brown pelt one his other side. He examined his surroundings and realized they were in a cave. His amber-yellow eyes looked around curiously and he saw the pack all huddled together for warmth, sleeping peacefully. He felt relief flood him that they had found shelter. They hadn't abandoned him after all.

_Can you take me Higher?__  
__To a place where blind men see_  
_Can you take me Higher?_  
_To a place with golden streets _

He lifted his nose to the air and his nostrils twitched and his mouth began to salivate. Venison! They'd hunted a deer! His stomach growled and he looked around eagerly for the meat. Then he looked down and saw a deer leg in front of him. He made a grab for it and eagerly devoured it. They really did care about him, value him. After eating his fill, he curled up against Tsume, Hige, and Blue, content in the knowledge that he well and truly WAS one of the pack. He belonged. They would all be going to Paradise together after all.

FIN

A/N: Didn't quite turn out quite as expected, but I'm happy with it. All in all, not bad. I hope you liked it. Please R&R! I love feedback!


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